Projects in Research
Research and development projects at Suspended Animation are chosen with the goal of improving the quality of stabilization and transport of cryonics patients.
Equipment used by Suspended Animation includes items designed and constructed in-house, existing equipment modified to meet our specific requirements and off-the-shelf technology used in laboratories and hospitals.
Setting up a standby is a significant logistical challenge that must include equipment and supplies needed, ranging from 30 liters (more than 7 gallons) of organ preservation solution to a complete set of appropriate medications and surgical instruments. Everything must be air-transportable, and all equipment must be easy to set up and use.
PANEL 1 Advances in Liquid Ventilation
A system to cool patients with a chilled breathable liquid has been developed in conjunction with Critical Care Research, the California laboratory that performed the initial research and development on liquid ventilation.
Link to video of Liquid Ventilation overview
Extracorporeal bypass enables the fastest possible cooling by circulating blood outside the body through a heat exchanger. However, extracorporeal bypass entails time-consuming surgical procedures and specialized personnel and equipment. Liquid ventilation uses the lungs as heat exchangers by pumping a chilled liquid and gas mixture into them, cooling the blood. This cooling method is nearly as efficient as extracorporeal bypass, without requiring surgery.3 A portable device capable of delivering liquid ventilation to a patient immediately after cardiac arrest would represent a major breakthrough and a new standard of care that could be delivered by emergency medical personnel.